The Lake House

31|| The Arrest

Lesley was left utterly speechless. The idea of Gary committing such a heinous crime after having an affair with a nineteen-year-old woman sent shivers up her spine. It was as if Gary had become the embodiment of evil, a man who would pretend to care for and lead the city as a councilman while cheating on his wife and then murdering his mistress. This revelation was hard for Lesley to accept, and she knew it was even more challenging for Denise, considering Gary was her husband, after all.

Lesley recalled Denise telling her about Gary's close relationship with Greg and Officer Todd, so it seemed likely that Gary had become entangled with Greg.

Had Gary put Greg up to murdering Leah? Lesley pondered. She also began to wonder about Officer Todd and his involvement, if any, in all of this. With Greg being his nephew and Gary being one of his best friends, it was a perplexing situation. As Lesley tried to piece everything together, the complexity of the case became overwhelming. She knew she'd have to talk to Officer Grant or maybe even Officer Todd himself to unravel the many layers of such an intricate and challenging case.

Standing outside of their front door, the cool wind brushed up against them as Lesley fidgeted with her keys. Denise's continuous sniffling and crying displayed her relentless inner turmoil. As for Lesley, she was already weighted down by the turbulent emotions that resided within. And now, a whirlwind of new emotions overcame Lesley's current ones, crashing into them at a magnetic speed. She didn't know how much more she could take on. Her world as she knew it was falling apart.

As soon as Lesley stepped foot into her house, she wheeled Nick inside. His eyes widened as the familiarity of the home stuck him like lightning on a thunderous day.

"This is our home, Lesley," Nick announced as his eyes scanned the living area.

"Yes, Nick." Lesley forced a smile. "This is our home."

Lesley ushered Denise inside.

"Have a seat at the table." Lesley pulled out the beige chair, gesturing for Denise to sit down. "I'll make us some tea after I take Nick upstairs."

Denise sat down on the comfy beige seat and nodded without saying a single word.

Nick made the decision to head to bed. He realized he couldn't afford to get further entangled in the mysterious developments surrounding the Leah Meyers case, considering he had his own intricate problems to sort out, such as waiting patiently for his memories to return.

Lesley parked Nick's wheelchair right in front of the staircase and she helped him out of it. With her arm wrapped around his lower back, they climbed the steps slowly and easily.

As they entered the master bedroom, Lesley strolled into the bathroom.

"I'll run your bath water." Lesley announced as Nick slowly sat down in the gray chair that was situated in the corner of their bedroom.

"No, don't worry about it." Nick said, raising his hand, metaphorically mimicking a stop sign. "I can run my own bath water. Thanks, though."

"Are you sure?" Lesley shifted her head, gazing his way.

"I'm sure, Lesley. Go back down with your friend, Denise. I think she needs your help more than I do."

A frown grew on Lesley's face. "Okay, I'll be back up later. I promise." She leaned over and gave Nick a compassionate kiss on the forehead.

When she anxiously returned downstairs, hoping that Denise was feeling a bit better, she was disappointed to see that she was not. Her face was in an almost permanent etch of sadness written over it, causing Lesley to feel an immediate sense of sympathy for her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting down here." Lesley apologized. "But I had to help Nick. He's recuperating."

"No need to apologize, Lesley." Denise gazed into her eyes. "I understand."

Lesley quickly grabbed her tea kettle and set on top of a burner.

"Tell me, what happened?" Lesley pulled out a chair at the long table and sat across from Denise. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand, her elbow resting on the table, as she eagerly awaited Denise's account of the ordeal.

"The Arcaden Police showed up at our door." Denise began as she sniffled. "They produced a warrant to search our home. I let them in and they searched high and low. They left with a few of our belongings. Including Gary's laptop and a few kitchen knives."

"What?!" Lesley asked rhetorically in disbelief. "What do they have on Gary?"

Denise shrugged. "I'm not sure." A single tear slid down her cheek. "I asked him and he said he doesn't even know who Leah Meyers is."

Her voice trembling as she continued. "Also, according to Officer Grant, they found a piece of Leah's hair in the passenger seat of Gary's truck. They also found a pair of Gary's swimming trucks with blood on it that matched Leah's"

Denise broke down into tears, again.

"Is it true?" Lesley asked, her expression stern and serious. "Did he have an affair with Leah?"

"He swore up and down he hadn't been unfaithful," Denise explained. "He doesn't even know who Leah Meyers is. He said he never met her a day in his life."

"Why did they find so much evidence on him then?" Lesley inquired, growing an even greater interest in the words that spilled out of Denise's mouth.

Denise shrugged, tears flowing from her eyes. "He believes someone framed him. And I believe him. He didn't kill her."

"Does he have an attorney?" Lesley asked anxiously. "Is he going to trial?"

"The last I spoke with him, he told me had consulted with his attorney. As far as the trial goes, I'm not sure." Denise's mouth curled into a frown. "This is going to ruin his political career. He was planning on running for mayor at the next election, that won't happen now."

Lesley handed Denise a box of Kleenex. She pulled a few tissues out and dabbed at her eyes.

Lesley knew she had to search deeper and much more meticulously than she had been. Although uncertain about Greg's guilt or innocence, it appeared that Officer Grant played a role in obtaining the evidence that led to the search warrant and Gary's subsequent arrest. Lesley would have to pay a visit to Officer Grant to uncover the underlying facts and truths that extended beyond what she had already uncovered.